


We Are An Example Of Why Not To Fall In Love

by OohYayChicken



Series: WAAEOWNTFIL [1]
Category: Bring Me The Horizon, You Me At Six
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cutting, Eating Disorders, F/M, Fransykes - Freeform, Jalex - Freeform, M/M, Manipulation, Self-Harm, josh is a "nice asshole", oli's really shy, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-14 16:44:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2199333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OohYayChicken/pseuds/OohYayChicken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and his girlfriend Rachelle break up because their feelings aren't mutual. Josh comes up with a plan to get her back, and that plan involves using poor Oliver Sykes, the lad who's been crushing on Josh for a while now.</p><p>(Title from You Me At Six's "Liquid Confidence")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Josh's point of view:  
  
I sigh again as I hold back the tears that wanted to spill from my eyes and ring the doorbell in front of me. After a few seconds the front door opens and I look down at the slightly shorter boy in front of me. He looks up at me with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Josh? Everything alright?" he asks me, letting me in. I step in and he closes the door behind me, locking it.  
  
"Alex, Rachelle broke up with me," I tell him as I sit down on the couch, propping my feet up onto the coffee table.  
  
"Feet down or Mom will kill me,” Alex tells me, and I do as told with a sigh. Alex sits down next to me and looks to me questioningly. When I don’t speak up, he does instead.  
  
“So, what happened?”  
  
“She told me that she wasn’t really in love with me like I was in her, so she just broke it up.”  
  
“Uh...at least she didn’t continue to...lie to you?” Alex suggests, trying to make me feel better about this situation. I smile at him, making him smile back at me.  
  
“Yeah, I guess so,” I tell him. “So how’s you and Jack getting along?”  
  
He doesn’t say anything, just looks way and blushes. After a few seconds he says,  
  
“Really good.”  
  
“Well, that’s good then,” I smile at him.  
  
“Lexy! I can’t find my pants!” I hear Jack call from Alex’s room.  
  
“That’s not my fault!” Alex shouts awkwardly because of my presence.  
  
“Yes it is! You’re the one who wanted s-”  
  
“OKAY! I’ll help you find you fucking pants!” Alex shouts quickly before leaping up from the seat and heading to his room to help his boyfriend.  
  
“Um, I’m probably gonna go home now,” I call out to Alex as I get up. I wait a few seconds for a reply, receiving none, before leaving the house, making sure I lock it on the way out.  
  
As I walk down to my home, I can’t help but think about what went down with me and my now ex. She said she wasn’t in love with me like I was in love with her. Maybe if I help her realize that she actually is, she’ll get back with me? I smile at the idea, but it falters when I realize that I don’t know how to do that. I start brainstorming ideas, a good one popping into my brain. Jealousy could work? Perfect. I smirk slightly.  
  
There’s this kid at school and it’s quite obvious that he has a crush on me, so I guess I’ll try to find out his name. When I find out I’ll ask him out and hope he says yes. I’m quite sure he will, maybe? I’ll just have to find out for myself tomorrow. He’s actually pretty cute too, so it won’t be too bad.  
  
Okay, so the plan’s all in my head now. First I learn the lad’s name, then I ask him out, he says yes, we start going out, I treat him all sweet and stuff, Rachelle gets jealous and wants me back, I get back together with Rachelle and leave the lad.  
  
But then I remember something. Alex and this lad hang out sometimes, so the two may possibly be friends. If I talk to Alex about this, I’ll just have to leave out the part about using him. Yeah, I’ll just do that.  
  
Before I know it, I’ve approached the front door of my house. I fish my key out of my pocket and use it to unlock the door, opening it. I toss the keys onto the coffee table and lock the door behind me.  
  
Let’s just hope the lad says yes tomorrow.  
  
<><><>  
  
I walk over to Alex’s locker, where he’s standing. About five lockers down on the opposite side of the hall is the lad’s locker. I tap on Alex’s shoulder and he turns to face me. He smiles when he sees that it’s me.  
  
“Hey, Josh. What’s up?” he asks me. I point in the lad’s direction.  
  
“What’s his name?” I ask Alex as I look to the lad. He’s staring at me, but blushes and looks away when he sees me pointing and looking at him. I look back to Alex, who has an eyebrow raised.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Uh… I wanna get to know him.”  
  
“You like him, don’t you?”  
  
No.  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
Alex smiles at me, and I smile back at him, even though I feel bad for lying to him. He’d probably kill me if he found out I was just using the lad.  
  
“Oli likes you too,” Alex says as he grabs his stuff for class, shutting and locking his locker. “You guys would be really cute together. But be good to him, he’s kinda fragile.”  
  
Oli. It’s cute, I have to admit. I nod at Alex’s command, even though I don’t understand what he meant. I say goodbye and head over to Oli. He was shorter than me, around Alex’s height. Maybe two inches shorter?  
  
“Hey, Oli,” I say, earning his attention. He blushes as he looks up at me. He’s actually kinda cuter up close. Drop dead gorgeous, even.  
  
“H-hey, Josh,” he stutters slightly. I smile down at him. I’m just gonna straight out ask him.  
  
“So, you wanna hang out?”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Sorry, sure,” Oli smiles slightly. I return the smile, because this plan is working along nicely. And this also may be pretty fun. Hey, I can like him as a friend and have the plan work. We can hopefully be friends after it ends.  
  
He turns back to his locker and gathers his things. He closes and locks his locker, then turns to walk away.  
  
“I’ll walk you to class,” I tell him as I start to walk by his side.  
  
“You d-don’t have to,” he tells me, but I know that he wants me to, so I do anyways. Alex told me to treat him well because he says he’s fragile, and I also gotta be good to him or the plan may not exactly work as planned.  
  
“But I want to,” I tell him, and like I said before, it’s not exactly a lie.  
  
When we get to his class, we say bye and I walk to my class.


	2. Chapter 2

Josh's point of view:  
  
The school day went by quite nicely. I hung out with Oli for most of the day and learned a bit about him. He's seventeen, a few months younger than me, scared of roller coasters, he's a vegan, and has a younger brother named Tom. I heard Alex and Jack call him 'Grand Master Syko' a couple times, and I caught on. He didn't seem to mind at all.  
  
Right now Oli and I are walking to his house. He really wanted Tom to meet me, but I don't know why. I agreed to meet him because I liked the smile he wore on his face.  
  
When we walk into his house he calls for his brother. Imidiately, I hear footsteps jogging down the stairs, and I see a boy who looks similar enough to Oli. I assume it's Tom.  
  
"Tom, this is Josh," Oli tells his brother as I see a blush creep onto his cheeks. Tom smirks slightly at me and I return it.  
  
"Oh, so you're the famous Josh Franceschi then," Tom says, Oli blushes even more.  
  
"Tom," Oli whispers harshly and Tom smiles at him.  
  
"Sorry Oli," he apologizes, but we all know he isn't really.  
  
"Are Mom and Dad home?" Oli then asks, receiving the shake of Tom's head.  
  
"Oh, okay. We're gonna head upstairs now," Oli says, then starts to head up. I start to follow but Tom quickly grabs my arm, stopping me. I look down at the shorter boy, waiting for whatever he has to say. It's probably that 'hurt my brother I hurt you' shit. But then I remember that we're not even dating yet, so I grow curious as to what he had to say.  
  
"Be nice to him, okay? You're one of his very few friends," Tom says quietly.  
  
"Hey, I will, he's a nice kid," I reassure him with a smile, which he returns. He lets my arm go and wanders into what looks like the kitchen.  
  
Oli's already in his room, a notebook in his lap, twiddling a pencil between his fingers, biting his lip; concentrating. I smile and make my way over to him. I sit next to him but he's too busy concentrating on his writing to notice. I glance at his writing.  
  
' _Crucify me, and nail my hands to a wooden cross_  
 _There is nothing above, there is nothing below_  
 _Heaven and Hell lives in all of us_  
 _And I've been cast astray_  
  
 _I am an ocean, I am the sea_  
 _There is a world inside of me_  
 _Lost in the abyss, drowned in the deep_  
 _No set of lungs could salvage me_ '  
  
"Those are good," I speak, making him jump. He slams his book shut and whirls around to face me. I guess he didn't want me to see them.  
  
"You scared the shit out of me," he tells me as he starts to calm down from his fright.  
  
"Sorry," I tell him.  
  
"Don't worry bout it, mate," Oli smiles, and I can't help but return it. "What do you wanna do?"  
  
"I'll let you read my lyrics if you let me read yours," I tell him. He bites his lip again.  
  
"I...guess we can. I mean, if you want to," Oli says nervously and I chuckle at him. I pull my notebook out of my bag and hand it to him. He takes it before letting me take his. I watch as he flips to the first page and starts to read. I can't see his reaction because of the curtain of hair that he hides behind.  
  
"I like your lyrics," he says as he flips the page. He looks up at me anxiously and bites his lip rings. I realize I've been staring instead of actually reading his. He might think I don't like them. I smile a thanks as I look to his book and read the first page. It's a song titled 'Tell Slater Not To Wash His Dick' and I can't help but chuckle at the title.  
  
"I know, it's bad," he mumbles. I shake my head.  
  
"No, it's just that the title is fab," I tell him as I start to read the lyrics.  
  
"How so?" Oli asks, sounding a bit more confident. I smile.  
  
"Tell Slater Not To Wash His Dick," is simply my answer. He chuckles. "And you have good lyrics."  
  
"Thank you," Oli mutters and I glance up at him. I almost didn't catch the blush on his face.  
  
"The truth, I like them. We could write a song or two together one day," I say. He smiles at the idea.  
  
"That sounds fun, Josh. Just give me until I finish my current song, okay?"  
  
"Sounds good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used are Bring Me The Horizon's "Crucify Me"


	3. Chapter 3

Oli's point of view:  
  
"Alright, Grand Master Syko, I told you one of my embarrassing stories. Tell me one of yours," Josh tells me. I bite my lip as I brace myself for the torment I'll be receiving after this.  
  
"A couple years back, I was acting in a school play. I just so happened to be on ecstasy and shit myself in front of the whole school," I mumble, hoping he didn't hear me. Much to my dismay, he did hear me, and he was trying to hold back a laugh. I could hear him. I feel heat rising to my face as I look away, not really wanting to meet those gorgeous eyes of his.  
  
 _Nice job, Oli. Out of all stories, you decide to tell that one._  
  
I sigh quietly, and Josh calms down.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry for laughing, you gotta admit that's kinda funny," he tells me, trying to make me feel better.  
  
Yes. It's funny even though I got made fun of it for months. It's funny even though it's another thing to add to the list of reasons why people bully Oliver Scott Sykes.  
  
"I guess it is," I lie and turn to face him with a fake smile. He smiles back at me, that beautiful, award winning smile that's to die for. I'd do anything just to see him smile...  
  
"So, what do you wanna do now?" Josh asks. I shrug.  
  
"I don't know. I usually only go to Alex's or Jack's house. I don't think they've been here before," I answer him. He only looks amused when I say that, so I make a face.  
  
"What?" I whine.  
  
"It's just that you were so excited about me coming over to yours and you don't even let Alex and Jack come over."  
  
I feel heat rising to my face again so I look away.  
  
"Was that a blush, Oli?"  
  
"N-no."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Mhm."  
  
Apparently he didn't believe me because he grabs my hips and spins me around so I'm facing him.  
  
"Dude, you're totally blushing," he says as I look down at my lap as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world.  
  
"Fucking wanker," I mutter, but not really caring if he heard or not. Well, I kinda did...  
  
"Your favorite wanker," Josh says cockily. I look up so I can roll my eyes at him, even offer a little smile. He smiles back at me.  
  
"You're not pissed at me anymore?" he asks.  
  
"Nope," I answer him.  
  
"Good."  
  
Then we're left in silence, but it was a comfortable one. I've gotten so used to the quiet, I flinch when the door opens and I hear a voice.  
  
"Guys, dinner's rea- Hey, hands off my brother."  
  
I blush again as I realize that Josh still has his hands on my hips. He smiles at Tom apologetically as he takes them off. He stands up and reaches a hand out, which I gladly take and pull myself up.  
  
We follow Tom downstairs and into the kitchen where Mom is putting food on the last plate. I notice that it's salad, so it must be mine. As she turns around to put the plate on the table, she sees Josh standing next to me and smiles at him.  
  
"So, Oli, you gonna introduce me to your friend?"  
  
"Uh, this is Josh," I answer, a slight blush creeping onto my face for maybe the millionth time today. I've talked a lot about Josh around Mom, Dad, and Tom before, and I was quite relieved when it turned out that they thought it was cute rather than wrong or disgusting like a decent portion of the students that attend my school. So that's why her reaction doesn't surprise me (but also kinda does because he was  _right there_.)  
  
"Oh, Oli! I knew you guys would get together!" she cheers with the happiest smile as she sets my plate down at my usual seat.  
  
"Mom, we're not together," I mutter as my blush deepens.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yah."  
  
I sit down in my seat, Josh and Tom sitting next to me.  
  
"Where's Dad?" I ask Mom.  
  
"Boss had him stay after."  
  
"Okay," I answer as I start collecting the leafy food onto my fork. Tom nudges me gently, and I turn to face him.  
  
"Did I walk in on something?" Tom whispers so Mom and Josh don't hear.  
  
"No," I reply, using the same tone.  
  
"Are you sure? It looked like something."  
  
"Tom, you know I'd tell you if it were."  
  
He nods and smiles at me so I return it. He turns back to his hamburger helper so I turn back to my salad.  
  
After dinner’s done, Josh says that he should start heading home, much to my dismay. He says bye to us all and heads to the door. Before he could pull the door open, the door already opens, revealing my dad. Dad stares down at Josh blankly.  
  
“You are?” he asks him.  
  
“Ian, this is Josh Franceschi!” Mom cheers, and I mentally facepalm. Josh must think we’re all fucking weirdos now.  
  
“Nice to finally meet the lad!” Dad smiles now.  
  
“Uh, nice to meet you too, but I really gotta get home now,” Josh says, so Dad steps aside and Josh walks past him. Dad steps in, closing and locking the door behind him.  
  
“You guys are so embarrassing!” I cry now that Josh is gone. They only laugh at my misery, so I pout.  
  
“You know we do it ‘cause we love you,” Mom tells me as I turn to head upstairs.  
  
“Yeah, sure,” I mutter as I approach my bedroom door. Tom slips into my room just before I get it closed.  
  
“Tom, you wanker!” I whine at his uninvited appearance.  
  
“Oli, you twat!” he retorts. I roll my eyes at him as I plop down onto my bed. He does the same next to me.  
  
“So how’d you guys become friends?” Tom asks as he rolls over to face me with a blank expression.  
  
“He just came up to me at my locker, said hi, then asked if I wanted to hang out,” I answer him, and he smiles a bit.  
  
“What’cha smiling about?”  
  
“I think he likes you, Oli,” Tom tells me, and I can’t help but blush slightly.  
  
“N-no, he wouldn’t,” I mutter, causing Tom to frown.  
  
“Oli, shut the fuck up, okay? You shouldn’t be surprised that another boy likes you. I mean, you’re awesome, nice, and this may sound weird as hell coming from your brother, but beautiful too.”  
  
I let what he just said sink in: that  _did_  sound weird coming from my brother.  
  
Since I don’t wanna piss him off anymore, I decide to just say, “Okay. I’m sorry.”  
  
But that makes him sigh too.  
  
“You always apologize when you do nothing wrong.”  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
“Oli, shut up and go to sleep, okay?”  
  
“Okay. Night,” I smile at my brother. He smiles back at me and my eyes shut, and before I know it, I’m asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Josh's point of view:  
  
My eyes snap open when my alarm starts blaring from next to me. I turn it off and lay in bed for a little while longer, thinking about yesterday. Oli's family acted so surprised and proud when they learned my name, so I'm guessing that he talked about me a lot. I didn't think he liked me this much. Should I carry on with the plan..?  
  
 _Josh, don't you want Rachelle back?_  
  
Oli will be okay. He'll be okay.  
  
 _"But be good to him, he's kinda fragile,"_  Alex's words repeat themselves in my head. I ignore them though, because I need this plan to work.  
  
I sigh as I get out of bed and prepare for the day, which is pretty much what you do every morning when you wake up. Since you know what that is, I don't have to go into detail.  
  
I say bye to my mom before jogging down to school, going to my locker when I get there. I get what I need for the day, but then I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Jack smirking at me. I raise my eyebrow, telling him to tell me what the fuck he wanted.  
  
"So Alex told me that you liked Oli," he says, and I mentally face palm. You can count on Alex to tell other people who I like and don't like.  
  
"Of course he did," I sigh.  
  
"I can totally get you two together! I mean, you guys would be so sweet!" Jack smiles at me. I smile back at him. It could speed up the plan a bit so I can have Rachelle back sooner.  
  
"I guess you can do what you wanna do," I tell him.  
  
"Good," he cheers before walking away to do God knows what. Probably to start whatever plan he has in mind to get me and Oli together. I chuckle slightly as I close my locker, lock it, and head to class.  
  
<><><>  
  
Now it's lunch, and my friends haven't yet gotten to the table. That means I have time to spy on Rachelle, which I've been doing since my ass first hit the seat I'm currently sitting on.  
  
I watch as Rachelle talks with her friends, them occasionally giggling at something one of them said. I pout. I miss Rachelle so much...  
  
"Hey, Josh," Oli mutters shyly as someone sits next to me. I look to see Oli looking a bit nervous.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" I smile at him.  
  
"Jack told me that you liked me," he speaks shyly, quietly, nervously, and doesn't look at me.  
  
So  _this_  was Jack's plan?  
  
"Yeah, well, he wasn't lying," I lie, and I feel quite guilty when I see the blush creep up onto his cheeks. He finally looks to me, and I risk a quick glance at Rachelle, who was looking over at the two of us curiously.  _Perfect._  I look back to Oli.  
  
"You actually do? Like,  _me_  out of all people?"  
  
I frown as he says that. What was that supposed to mean? He's very lovely, anyone would be lucky to have him.  
  
"Of course, Oli. And I heard you liked me too," I reply to his question. He blushes again.  
  
"Who told you?"  
  
"Alex told me, but I knew even before he did."  
  
"Was it really that obvious?"  
  
"Yeah, you'd always stare at me and blush and look away when I caught you."  
  
That makes him blush once again.  
  
I've never seen a boy blush this much.  
  
"Oh," is his response. We're silent for a moment, both of us waiting for the other to say something first. I was about to open my mouth, but then he did instead.  
  
"So, um, will you go out with me?" Oli asks shyly, and I nod. He smiles at me, and right then, Alex and Jack come out of nowhere.  
  
We're they seriously listening to us? Kinda awkward...  
  
"See, Oli?! Told you he'd say yes!" Jack cheers.  
  
"Shut up, you wanker," Oli smiles at him.  
  
"We could totally go on a double date one day!" Alex suggests happily, and Jack nods like it's the best thing he's ever heard.  
  
"Yeah! When?" Alex asks as he looks to me and Oli.  
  
"This weekend?" Oli asks me.  
  
"That works for me," I smile at him, and he smiles back at me.  
  
I can't help but love his smile.  
  
<><><>  
  
Oli's point of view:  
  
I can't help the huge smile on my face as I rush into the house on a hunt to find my little brother. I find him up in his room, doing homework. His head snaps up and turns to look at me when he hears me come in. He's frowning, but that frown is replaced with a smile when he sees my expression.  
  
"You seem really happy," Tom says proudly. "Come sit and tell me."  
  
He moves his homework aside as I sit on the floor next to him. He leans his head on my shoulder as he waits for me to start.  
  
"Jack told me that Josh said he likes me, like, as more than a friend," I start, and I hear him chuckle, followed by "I told you so."  
  
"So then at lunch I brought it up and he said that it was true, but I was so surprised that he'd like someone like  _me_  and wanted someone like  _me_  and I was just freaking out on the inside. Then he said that he found out from Alex that I liked him but he knew before Alex told him because I made it obvious and I thought that was so awkward but then I asked him out and he said  _yes_  and I- oh my gosh I'm so fucking happy, Tom! You have no fucking idea!"  
  
"I can tell. The last time you rambled on and on about something it was about you and Alex meeting," Tom says happily. "I love seeing you so happy. I could really get used to this. Oh, are you telling Mom and Dad?"  
  
I nod, they'd love to hear this. Shit, I'm just glad that they supported me through this whole thing. Yeah, I'm definitely telling them!  
  
"Good. Oli, as much as I love seeing you like this, I gotta do my homework."  
  
I nod and he gets off my shoulder and I get up, waltzing out of his room and into mine.  
  
 _Best fucking day of my life._


	5. Chapter 5

Josh's point of view:  
  
<><><>we're skipping to Saturday guys<><><>  
  
I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for it to open, which seemed to open almost immediately. There stood Oli, dressed on what he usually wears everyday. A black Slipknot hoodie, black skinny jeans, Vans. Can't blame him, I'm wearing what I usually wear to school. I mean, we're only going to the movies anyways. He's wearing a happy smile which seems to be happier when he sees me. I smile back at him.  
  
"You wanna come in?" Oli asks me, and I nod. He lets me in and closes the door behind me.  
  
"So, we waiting on Jack and Alex?" I ask him as I plop down onto the couch.  
  
"Mhm," he hums as he sits next to me.  
  
"What movie we going to see?" Oli then asks. I don't even know, because Jack claimed the right to pick out what movie we're going to see. I tell him that, and he nods. Then Tom comes down.  
  
When he sees me, he motions for me to follow him into the kitchen. I get up and follow him into the kitchen. He turns to me when he's sure that Oli can't really hear. I have a feeling that he's gonna give me that 'hurt my brother I hurt you' bullshit, since he hasn't seen me all week.  
  
"Let me tell you something," Tom starts, and I internally groan. "Oli's been talking about you ever since he first saw you. He would talk about random things like your hair, your eyes, your lips, basically anything that popped into that little head of his. Then he'd finish off with saying that you were too good for him, you'd never like anyone like him, you know, things like that. We always had to try and convince him that you'd actually be lucky to have someone like him, but he's stubborn, so I honestly don't know how that worked out. Then earlier this week, he came home with you. He looked really fucking happy, so just imagine how happy he was when he came home the next day and told me that he found out you liked him back and said yes when he asked you out. I haven't seen him without a smile on his face ever since. Point is, Oli's the happiest he's ever been, and it's because of you."  
  
I then feel guilty for what I've done. But there's no turning back now. I mean, when I have Rachelle back, I'll be glad I did it?? Maybe I'll just forget about it?? I'm just gonna not think about it. I mean, I haven't even made her jealous yet. If she's not jealous, she's not gonna want me back.  
  
I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Tom speaks again.  
  
"So you hurt my brother, I hurt you."  
  
<><><>  
  
I'm now walking Oli home since our date's over now. Jack, of course, picked out The Fault In Our Stars. I was okay with it because Oli seemed really excited about it, and I learn that apparently he's read the book a thousand times while I haven't even touched one. He kept crying during the movie at parts he thought were cute, so imagine how he was when Gus died. I have to admit, I almost cried a bit when he did,  _almost_.  
  
Now, Oli's fanboying about how perfect that movie was (which is honestly really cute), how cute Hazel and Gus were together, then cheekily said that we could be Hazel and Gus, you know, minus the cancer and Gus dying.  
  
When we get to his front door, I turn to go home, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back. I turn to face him, looking down at him quizzically.  
  
"You wanna come in?" Oli asks. I actually kinda do, but Elissa, my sister, really wanted me to hang out with her tonight. I smile at him.  
  
"I'd love to, but I gotta get home."  
  
He looks really disappointed as he says, "oh, okay."  
  
I smile sympathetically at him.  
  
"How bout I come over tomorrow. Or you come to mine tomorrow?"  
  
Oli smiles at that, and he nods.  
  
"Great. Well, bye, Oli," I say before I turn to leave. He looks disappointed again but returns it anyway. I'm confused as to why he looks that way, but I shrug it off and walk down the street.  
  
Oli's point of view:  
  
I watch him leave, disappointed. Maybe next time I'll get a kiss?  
  
Yeah. Next time, maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

Josh’s point of view:  
  
Around noon, my doorbell rang. I smile, knowing that it’s Oli. I walk over and open the door, revealing Oli staring up at me.  
  
“Hey, Josh,” he greets me.  
  
“Hey babe,” I say, and he blushes. “Come in.”  
  
I let him in, and he looks around. I smile at him as he smiles.  
  
“Well, Elissa wants to meet you, Grand Master Syko,” I chuckle as I grab his hand and lead him upstairs.  
  
“Elissa’s your sister, right?” he asks shyly. He’s never met her before, and he’s not exactly used to talking to people other than me, Jack, Alex, his parents, and occasionally the teachers.  
  
"Yeah, she is," I nod.  
  
We walk onto Elissa's room, forgetting to knock like I usually do, which pisses her off.  
  
"Joshua Franceschi! Knock next time, you-" she stops when she sees Oli standing shyly next to me.  
  
"That Oli?" Elissa asks me and I nod. She smiles at him.  
  
"Wow, he  _is_  cute!" she states, causing Oli to blush.  
  
"He's not old enough for you," I brag. "So he's all mine." She chuckles at me.  
  
"Whatever, Josh. I always talk to you, let me talk to Oli."  
  
I look to Oli and smile.  
  
"Have fun, okay?" I tell him as I peck his cheek. I see him blush a bit before I leave the room, walking into my own. I pull my phone out and click on a certain contact.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Jack! You and Alex free?"  
  
"Depends."  
  
"Can you guys come over? Elissa stole Oli."  
  
"Alex is too sore to walk, so you might have to come over."  
  
"Really Jack? Go ahead, feel free to let Jo-"  
  
"Calm down, Alex! He already knows we do it almost everyday!"  
  
"Actually, no. Well, I do now..."  
  
"Well anyways, you coming over, Josh?"  
  
"Nah, I'm too lazy to get up and leave the house. See you guys tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah. See ya."  
  
"Bye."  
  
With that, I hang up the phone and decide to write more lyrics. I take out my notebook and something to write with and start writing.  
  
<><><>  
  
After a couple hours, I've only come up with a quarter of a song. I only stopped when I heard someone enter the room. I look up to see Oli standing there, looking down at me with a smile. I smile back at him and put my book away.  
  
"You guys have fun?" I ask him as I get up to my feet. The floor's seriously uncomfortable. Well, it is a floor. Floors aren't exactly meant to be comfortable.  
  
"I guess," he shrugs. "All we did was talk."  
  
"About what?" I ask as I walk over to him and grab his hand. I lead him out of the house.  
  
"First about me and you. Then about you."  
  
 _WTF, for two hours? Creepy much?_  
  
"What kind of things?"  
  
"She said we were cute together, then she kept telling me about you before we met..."  
  
I can feel heat rising to my face as I remember the past me.  
  
"Oh God," I sigh, embarrassed. He laughs at me before asking a question.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
I shrug, because I really don't know.  
  
"You have any ideas?"  
  
Oli shakes his head.  
  
"Ok. We can walk around for a bit. That sound good?" I suggest, and he smiles and nods.  
  
"As long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do," Oli says, and it makes me feel bad. This kid  _really_  likes me.  
  
 _Yeah, and you really like Rachelle. This'll be worth it._  
  
Fucked up and selfish, but it's true. It  _will_  be worth it. And hey, maybe Oli can be with someone better than me, someone who actually deserves someone as amazing as Oli.  
  
"Babe, you okay?" Oli asks me, voice filled concern. I look to him, his expression matching.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," I say as I grip his hand a bit tighter.  
  
I still can't believe I'm doing this to the poor lad. I can't believe I'm just using him to make my ex jealous and want me back. I can't believe I'm not putting a stop to it. I mean, I don't even like him the way he thinks. I like him as a friend, well, maybe as a best friend, but nothing more.  
  
"Seriously, Josh, what's wrong?" Oli asks me again.  
  
"Nothing, babe" I lie. He doesn't look like he believed me, but he lets it go anyways, knowing he won't get an answer.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Oli's point of view:

I'm woken up by Tom gently shaking me. He's dressed for school already.

"Fuck, did I oversleep?!"

"Sure did," Tom answers. I mutter a curse as I pull myself out of bed and get ready for school. Fuck my phone for dying. Fuck me for forgetting to put it on the charger.

When I'm ready, I look for Tom.

"Want me to walk you to school so you're not all by yourself?"

Tom nods and I follow him out of the house.

We both go to different schools because he did something really bad and wasn't allowed at our school anymore. No one ever told me what he did, and I don't exactly care to know anyway.

"Is Josh treating you good?" Tom asks to break the silence. The mention of Josh's name brings a smile to my face, and that makes Tom smile too.

"Very good," I answer truthfully.

"Good. Just making sure my brother is happy."

The rest of the walk is silent as neither of us know of a topic to bring up, but the silence is comfortable.

<><><>

Everyone else is already seated at the lunch table, talking happily. Their current conversation is dropped as I sit at the table, gaining their attention.

"Where were you this morning?" Josh asks, Alex and Jack offer a look that looks like they ask the same.

"Overslept, walked Tom to school," I answer with a shrug.

"What school does he go to anyway?" Alex asks.

"Doesn't he go to that ugly school by Karsen's house?" Jack asks.

"...Who's Karsen?" I ask confused. Josh looks uncomfortable by the mention of this Karsen person

"Rachelle Karsen. You don't know her?"

I shake my head, giving them an expectant look. I want to know who she is since apparently she makes Josh uncomfortable. Jack turns to Josh, expecting him to tell me. Josh shrugs, and Jack returns it. Alex rolls his eyes at the two idiots and turns to me.

"She's Josh's ex. You'd probably dislike her, though, since she can kinda be a bitch, but we're cool, since I kinda grew up with her," Alex explains, but that confuses me. How come this is the first time I've heard of her if she grew up with Alex? I mean, we've been friends for maybe three years or so, so it's kinda weird.

"Oh... Alright."

<><><>

I lock my front door behind me as I enter my home, lazily throwing my bag to the couch. I’m  _way_  too lazy to hike up the stairs so I throw myself to the couch, failing epicly as I bounce off the edge and fall to the hard, dirty floor. Like seriously, someone should really vacuum this bitch. And it smells like... (sniff) piss? Who pissed on the floor?

“Um, Oli?” I hear the concerned voice of my mother from behind me. “Are you alright? You’re kinda just planking there.”

“Fell off the couch,” I mutter into the carpet before rolling onto my back.

“Well, are you… gonna, like, get up? I mean, I would…”

“Yeah, yeah,” I answer her sheepishly as I pull myself up. It’s slightly embarrassing, actually.

“Good. I’ll be in the kitchen making dinner, if any of you need me,” she tells me before disappearing back into the kitchen. I plop down onto the couch, successfully this time, and pull my phone out of my pocket. I play on the minimum amount of apps I have until I’m called in the kitchen for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is poop but I haven't updated in like around a month. I'm so sorry, I've been really focused on the Chricky I've recently started and kinda forgot about my poor little Fransykes :( I'll try to make the next chapter better than this one, longer too :)


	8. Chapter 8

Josh's point of view:  
  
I flinch when my phone alerts me of a text, an unexpected one.  
  
"Probably Oli," I sigh as I grab it and look at it.  
  
It's not Oli,  
  
Or Jack or Alex.  
  
It's Rachelle.  
  
 **Rachelle: so I heard you got urself a bf...**  
  
I can't help but smirk at that. My plan might be actually working now.  
  
 **me: Yeah, his name is Oli.  
  
Rachelle: wait… u mean oli sykes??????  
  
me: Yeah  
  
Rachelle: ew ur dating him?  
  
me: Ew?  
  
Rachelle: yas!  
  
me: He’s not ew, Ray, he’s beautiful  
  
Rachelle: wtf josh you could do so much better  
  
me: What do you mean by that?  
  
Rachelle: u kno wut nvm. ttyl.  
  
me: Okay, bye…**  
  
I smile a bit to myself as I shove my phone back into my pocket. My plan is working quite well from what I’ve just seen. Rachelle’s jealous, and now all I need is for her to admit it, give me a reason to leave Oli for her, I’ll accept it, and I’ll break it off with Oli and hope he’ll still want to be my friend (and get my ass kicked by Tom too).  
  
A few minutes later, I get another text.  
  
I pull my phone out again and see that this time, it’s from Oli.  
  
 **Oli: Your ex just texted me .-.  
  
me: What did she say?**  
  
When he replies, they’re pictures. Pictures of text messages. I look at the number at the top of the pictures, and I recognize the number as Rachelles. I then read the pictures.  
  
‘ **Rachelle: boy.  
  
Oli: Um, who’s this?  
  
Rachelle: rachelle. so i heard ur dating josh  
  
Oli: Yeah.  
  
Oli: How did you get my number anyways?  
  
Rachelle: i got it from ur bro when he was on his way home  
  
Oli: Oh. Okay.  
  
Rachelle: ya. i just wanted to warn u  
  
Oli: What?  
  
Rachelle: can u not read boy  
  
Oli: Yeah, I can, I meant to ask what you were talking about…  
  
Rachelle: watch ur attitude  
  
Oli: I’m not having one…  
  
Rachelle: fine watevr. but still i wanted to warn u.  
  
Oli: About what.  
  
Rachelle: josh is gonna tak me back.  
  
Oli: No, he loves me. He wouldn’t do that.  
  
Rachelle: dont u find it weird dat he got with u right after me and him broke up  
  
Oli: No  
  
Rachelle: alright but dont bitch and cry when he does leave u and get with me bc i told u so :)  
  
Oli: Think what you want, but Josh’s over you and is happy with me now. Delete my number off your phone, I don’t want anything to do with you. Have a nice life.**  
  
I bite my lip anxiously as I read over the conversation. Rachelle knows me too damn well. What’s Oli gonna think when I actually do break up with him for her?  
  
He’ll be okay, right?  
  
Yeah, he will. I wasn’t lying when I told Rachelle that he was beautiful. He’s also sweet, caring, and everything people look for in a lover, so another guy would be lucky to have him. Oli deserves better, anyways.  
  
I quickly type up my reply and hit send.  
  
 **me: Don’t worry about her, Oli babe. You’re right, I’ve moved on, and I love you. I’m happy with you <3**  
  
Oli: I love you too, love <3  
  
me: I’m sorry she said all that to you.  
  
Oli: Don’t be. I know you won’t leave me for her, so I have nothing to worry about :) Tom wants to introduce me to a friend of his, so I’ll see you tomorrow?  
  
me: Of course, love. Bye  
  
I turn off my phone and shove it back into my pocket.


	9. Chapter 9

Josh’s point of view:  
  
I woke up and groaned, instantly knowing that I have to go to school. I’m  _so_  not in the mood to go there. I even whine a little when I get myself out of bed, getting ready zombie speed. Well,  _slow_  zombie speed. I played this zombie game once and some of those bitches were fast as fuck. Like, wow, that shit was scary.  
  
When I’m ready, I step outside, noticing Elissa pinned to her car by a tall muscular guy, their tongues practically down each other’s throats.  
  
 _Damn it, Elissa, you could do so much better._  
  
I ignore the scene that’s probably gonna scar me for life as I start walking towards the school, but before I can get a yard away, Elissa calls me.  
  
“Josh! Let us take you to school!” Elissa offers. I shrug and turn around, walking towards them, crawling into the back seat. I know that Elissa’s only taking me because she hopes she might get to see Oli for a bit, but hey, at least I don’t gotta walk today.  
  
“Oh, and this is Bradley, my boyfriend,” Elissa introduces as she pulls out of the driveway. Bradley turns around and makes a fist.  
  
 _Well, he’s way more attractive up close. You did well, Elissa._  
  
“Bro,” Bradley says coolly as he waits for me to bump fists with him. I bump his fist with mine, and he smiles, turning back around.  
  
“Bradley, that’s Josh, my little brother,” Elissa finally tells him. “So, Brad, where do you wanna go after we drop Josh off?”  
  
I watch the two awkwardly as he shrugs.  
  
“Whatever works for you, babe,” Bradley answers her as he turns the radio on, skipping until he gets to a certain song. I assume that he really likes it as he starts singing along loudly.  
  
“THIS IS THE PART WHEN I SAY I DON’T WANT YA! I’M STRONGER THAN I’VE BEEN BEFORE! THIS IS THE PART WHEN I BREAK FREE! ‘CAUSE I CAN’T RESIST NO MORE!”  
  
It goes on like this: listening to Bradley obnoxiously singing an obnoxious song, until we pull up at my school.  
  
“Bye guys!” I say quickly, desperate to get out of the car as I hastily open the door and jump out. Elissa looks around for a bit, and I know what she’s looking for. Her eyes light up when she finds him.  
  
“OLI! HEEEEY!” she screams, scaring the shit out of Bradley. I look in the direction she’s looking toward and see Oli, scared shitless, but he’s smiling and waving back slightly anyways.  
  
“Babe, who’s that?” I hear Bradley say before they drive off. I walk up to Oli, his face brightening the closer I got.  
  
“Hey, Josh,” Oli greets happily as he reaches out for my hand, intertwining our fingers.  
  
“Hey, babe,” I reply to him with a smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Rachelle watching us from where she hangs with her bitches. I guess she’s gonna be watching me now, perfect. I kiss Oli’s cheek to make her jealous, and I know I succeed when she rolls her eyes and turns back toward her friend with a scowl. I look back to Oli, whose cheeks are now tinted pink.  
  
“You’re so cute,” I chuckle, and he ducks his head.  
  
“No,” he mutters sheepishly.  
  
“But you  _are_  cute,” I tell him, and he shrugs.  
  
“I’m gonna go to my locker and head to class now, okay?” Oli says before hugging me. He then walks into the building, just as someone taps my shoulder. I turn around and come face to face with a girl. I recognize her as one of Rachelle’s friends, but I don’t care to remember who she is.  
  
“Yeah?” I ask her, wondering what the hell she wants.  
  
“Why are you dating Oli?” she asks me, disgust towards Oli clear in her voice. I glare daggers at the bitch before turning away from her and walking towards the school.  
  
“Hey! Answer my question!” she shrieks at me, typical attention-seeking bitch. I ignore her and keep walking forward.  
  
<><><>  
  
“So Josh,” Jack starts as he sits across from me at the lunch table. Alex and Oli aren’t here yet, so it’s just me and Jack right now. “I heard about you pissing off Celeste.”  
  
I give him a questioning look. “Who’s Celeste?”  
  
“That girl you talked to earlier. She told you something and you walked away from her and she screamed at you.”  
  
Oh, well that rings a bell.  
  
“So, what happened?” Jack asks as he tastes whatever he grabbed for lunch. He gags and slides it to the end of the table. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop at the edge and tips over the edge, splattering gook at Oli and Alex’s feet. It attracts attention, too, do Jack does the smart thing: get the fuck out of here before the janitor comes and makes us clean it up. Me, Oli and Alex follow after him as we make our way out of the cafeteria and outside.  
  
“That was one fine hello, babe,” Alex says sarcastically as he lets himself get comfy on the grass.  
  
“I know,” Jack plays along, plopping down next to him. Oli and I follow their lead and get comfy ourselves. “Anyways, Jack. What happened earlier?”  
  
That catches Alex’s and Oli’s attention, and their focus is on me.  
  
“Well, Celeste decided to come up to me earlier and ask me why I was dating Oli,” I start as I wrap an arm around him, pulling him closer. He rests his head in the crook of my neck, humming contently. “And her voice was laced with disgust, so I got pissed and walked away. That’s basically all that happened.”  
  
Jack raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure? She was fuming.”  
  
“Yeah, I don’t know why she was that pissed. I guess it’s because I walked away from her when she asked me a question. Why does it concern her, anyway?”  
  
“Because Rachelle’s jealous, and Celeste likes to kiss her ass,” Alex says, knowing his friend.  
  
“Who’s Celeste?” Oli asks, who’s been quiet this whole time. He must not have been paying attention until Alex spoke up.  
  
“Rachelle’s friend,” Jack answers him before Alex or I could.  
  
“Oh, Rachelle texted me yesterday,” Oli randomly adds, making Jack and Alex quite curious.  
  
“Why does she have your number?” Alex asks.  
  
“Tom gave it to her, apparently. He got a piece of my mind, though,” Oli answers.  
  
“Uh… This is kinda where we hang, so… skedaddle, would you,” a voice says from above us, and the four of us look up to it. There stood a muscular jock looking guy, one of the populars, and I never cared enough to remember his name. He had two other guys behind him, less muscular than the leader, but equally unattractive.  
  
Alex and Jack and Oli start to move, but I motion for them to stop and hold Oli to me.  
  
“We would not. Should’ve came a little sooner,” I speak up instead of obeying them like a little pussy. They glare down at me as Alex whispers to me, asking if I was high on something. I ignore them and glare up at the three boys.  
  
“Let’s try this again. Get the fuck up before we fuck you guys up like the fags you all are,” the leader spits. Literally, something wet just landed on my cheek. Fucking gross.  
  
I wipe it away, my gaze not faltering. “We’re sitting here, whether you guys fucking like it or not.”  
  
<><><>  
  
The four of us left for class with bruised and bloodied faces after lunch ended.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Josh’s point of view:

Before school had ended today, all of Rachelle’s friends have approached me at least once and asked me about Oli, disgusted as ever. Every single one of them were ignored. The whole situation has put me in a salty mood. I mean, I may not love Oli romantically, but I do love him dearly as a friend, and hearing people speak his name in such a way multiple times pisses me off.

I step into my house and lock the door behind me, marching upstairs, meeting Elissa at the top.

“You alright?” she asks me when she notices my scowl.

“Rachelle had her friends ask me about Oli all day,” I grumble, causing her to scowl as well.

“Want me to handle her for you? I’ll make sure she stops,” she offers, and I shake my head.

“No, I’ll do it myself. Thanks though,” I tell her as I walk past her and into my room. The second I step in there, my phone alerts me of a text. I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket as I drop my bag by the door.

It’s a number I don’t recognize.

**Unknown: Do you know what’s wrong with Oli? He won’t tell me.**

Who… Actually, I might know… And what’s wrong with Oli?

**me: Who is this? Tom?**

**Unknown: Yeah. Do you know?**

I immediately put his name with his contact for later use.

**me: No. Is he okay??**

**Tom: I don’t think he is… He came home with this look on his face and locked himself in his room. I’ve been begging him to let me in but he won’t. I figured you might know.**

**me: It might have something to do with Rachelle and her friends…**

**Tom: Rachelle Karsen?**

**me: Yeah**

**Tom: Has she been texting him shit?**

**me: He only told me about her doing it once. Idk, but her friends kept approaching me today asking about him and stuff. They sounded so disgusted.**

**Tom: Oh**

**me: Yeah. Want me to come over and try to get him out?**

**Tom: Please.**

**me: Okay, I’ll be over soon.**

With that, I’m leaving the house once again, heading towards Sykes’s house. When I finally get there, I ring the bell, and the door is answered by Tom. He lets me in and leads me to Oli’s door.

“Thanks for coming over,” he says in a hushed tone as we stop at Oli’s door.

“No problem.”

I knock at Oli’s door. “Babe, can you let us in?”

I hear shuffling, followed by the sound of a door unlocking before the door opens, revealing Oliver Scott Sykes staring down at his feet. Tom quickly reaches for one of his arms, turning it over and pulling the sleeve up, and I watch as my heart breaks. He didn’t have anything new, but there were old scars littered on his wrist. Tom does the same to his other, and we see nothing new.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear,” Oli speaks quietly.

“Okay. I was just making sure. And can you tell us what’s wrong?” Tom then asks him.

“I just got a lot of shit today,” Oli answers.

“From who?”

“I don’t know, just a bunch of girls calling me names and shit. And they… yeah.”

“And they…?” I speak up.

“And they kept t-telling me that you didn’t r-really love me,” his voice starts shaking, as if he’s gonna cry.

“I’ll be in my room if you guys need me,” Tom says before walking away, leaving me to help Oli.

“Oli, we talked about this yesterday, didn’t we?” I ask softly as I gently move him so I could walk in, closing the door behind me. I lead him to his bed, having him sit on it with me.

“Yeah…”

“Then you  _do_  know that I love you, right?”

He doesn’t say anything, which actually breaks my heart again. Like I said before, I do love him, just as a friend. But he can’t know that just yet.

“What makes you think that I don’t love you?”

“It’s awkward to bring it up,” he mutters quietly.

“It’s okay. Just tell me. I wanna help you.”

“We’ve been dating for a while, but you… you still haven’t… kissed me yet.”

“Would you like me to right now?”

I see him blush and nod sheepishly. I chuckle at his cuteness before leaning in, him doing the same, but just as our lips touch, the door swing open, causing us to jump apart on reflex and look to the intruder.

“O-oh, I’m sorry, but Oli, your father wants you to come to the store with him, so Josh, I’m afraid I have to send you home, unless you wanna hang with Tom?” Oli’s mom ask.

“I’ll see if Tom wants to hang,” I answer with a kind smile. She smiles back before disappearing again, so I turn to Oli as he gets up. I get up too.

“Well, um, bye, Josh,” he says in disappointment.

“Bye,” I reply, and before he can move, I lean down and give him a quick peck on the lips. He blushes like crazy. “Love you.”

He smiles, finally believing.

“Love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shit, sorry guys :/ I'm trying to stay away from putting all of my stories on hold 'cause when that happens there's a 50/50 chance of them being discontinued. I'm really fond of my active stories, actually, so hopefully they won't be discontinued :)


	11. Chapter 11

>>>Time skip to about a month<<<  
  
Josh’s point of view:  
  
I didn’t quite expect the plan to last quite this long, but I think it’s coming to an end.  
  
Rachelle seemed to get more and more jealous every time I was affectionate towards Oli, and the more jealous she got, the more I did for Oli to fuel the fire. If I keep this up, I’ll probably have Rachelle back very soon.  
  
At the moment, I’m about to take Oli home after another date. I took him to the mall and bought him everything he wanted, since we might not quite be together for much longer. I have to admit, I’m kinda gonna miss what the two of us had, but I’m sure being just friends would be just as good, right?  
  
Before I know it, we’re at Oli’s front door.  
  
“Help me put everything away?” Oli asks as he shoves the key into the door, twisting, unlocking the door. We step in and I’m overwhelmed with the sweet smell of cake, which the Sykes will most likely be having for dessert later tonight.  
  
“Sure thing, babe,” I smile at him as I follow him up to his room.  
  
“Are you staying for dinner or?” Oli asks when we’re half way upstairs. I shake my head before I can realize that he can’t see me, so I let him know verbally that I can’t.  
  
“I have to help Elissa and Bradley pick out a house. They’re both moving,” I add truthfully. Elissa said that she and Bradley wanted to take their relationship to the next level (the one when you decide you want to start a family, even though the two aren’t even engaged yet) so they’re moving in together to make things easier. They said that they wanted me to help them out because Bradley apparently wanted to get to know his  _’possibly soon-to-be brother-in-law’_. I don’t really mind too much, it’s just the baby part that bothers me.  
  
I don’t like kids, simple as that.  
  
“Oh, okay,” Oli answers, sounding disappointed as we get to his room. He tosses his share of shopping bags on his bed and I follow his lead before I start putting things away. I’ve been here enough to know where most of his things go. Oli turns to me when we eventually finish.  
  
“So, uh, when do you plan on leaving?” Oli asks me.  
  
“I’m probably gonna be leaving now,” I answer.  
  
“Kiss first?”  
  
I smile. Oli and his love for kisses, man.  
  
I cup his cheek with one hand and place the other on his hip as he wraps his arms around my neck. I lean in, feeling his soft lips against my own, moving perfectly together. I’ve always liked kissing Oli, actually, he’s really good at it. I eventually pull away and turn to leave, but not without telling him bye, of course.  
  
<><><>  
  
I finally got to go home after house hunting with Bradley and Elissa. They settled for a cute small house a couple hours away from home with three bedrooms: one for them, one for their bundle of hell when they decide to have it, and one for me, in case I ever wanna hang with them for a weekend or something.  
  
So, now that I’m home, I get to help Elissa move her shit out of the house since Bradley’s at his own house moving things to his new home right now too. Well, I don’t have to help, I just really want to. Kinda like my way of thanking her for always being there for me, but this isn’t enough though to thank her.  
  
Seriously, she’s the best sister anyone can have.  
  
Wait, no one else can have her as a sister. She’s  _my_  sister. I’m not sharing.  
  
“Josh! Help, it’s too heavy!” I hear said sister whine from upstairs. I put down the box I currently had in my arms and head upstairs instead to help. I find her in her room trying to carry out three boxes at the same time, swaying slightly as she tries to keep her balance.  
  
“Moron,” I laugh lightly as I take two from her, carrying outside and into the moving truck parked outside in the driveway. When those are in the truck, I go back for the box I previously had when Elissa had called me.  
  
After a while, all of Elissa’s things are packed and in the truck, and Elissa’s driving me to the house so I can help them unpack in the morning.  
  
“Hey, Elissa?” I ask sleepily as I watch the street lamps go by to keep myself awake.  
  
“Yeah?” Elissa answers.  
  
“Where are we gonna sleep?”  
  
“We’re all gonna sleep on the bed Bradley brings. It’s big enough for three people to sleep on.”  
  
“You guys aren’t gonna to anything with me right next to you guys, right?”  
  
“Promise, pervert.”  
  
<><><>  
  
When I wake up, I’m in a brightly lit room, in a bed, with someone’s arm around my waist.  
  
Wait, what.  
  
I freeze before slowly turning around. I bite my tongue to keep from screaming when I find Bradley’s face merely an inch from mine. All I can do is turn back around awkwardly. Only minutes later, I hear shuffling, and something press against my back.  
  
 _Oh God. He thinks I’m Elissa. Hopefully he won’t do anything..._  
  
But I’m not a lucky person…  
  
I feel lips press to my shoulder and I gasp, keeping as still as possible. He kisses his way to my neck, up my neck, and he moves closer to kiss towards my mouth.  
  
 _Fuck fuck fuck no-_  
  
The arm around my waist is suddenly removed and the body pressed to my back is gone, the lips off my cheek too. I look back to see a smirking Elissa standing by the bed.  
  
My hero.  
  
“Feel awkward?” Elissa asks, not even bothering to hold back her laugh.  
  
“I might be scarred for life,” I mumble as I get out of bed.  
  
“I can imagine. Wanna unpack with me to get it off your mind?”  
  
“Please.”


	12. Chapter 12

_Josh’s point of view:_  
  
Today was a very busy day. We went to stores to get things they wanted like stuff for my room and baby shit and paint, painted the walls, put all the furniture together, unpacked  _everything_ , and all that took the entire day. It got so boring that Elissa told me to invite Oli over so I wouldn’t be so bored, so yeah, he’s here too.  
  
I look at the clock on the wall when Elissa and Bradley announce that we’re all done. It’s about 7:34pm. Or is it :35? Eh, it’s around that time.  
  
“So, thanks for helping, bros,” Bradley says to me and Oli, holding out fists to the two of us. I bump my fist against Bradley’s as Oli only stares at the other.  
  
Does he not know he’s supposed to bump his fist?  
  
“Hold up your fist,” Bradley tells him, who does as he’s said. Bradley takes it upon himself to bump his fist against Oli’s. “It’s a Bro Fist. Know who PewDiePie is?”  
  
Oli shakes his head at him. Even  _I_  don’t know who this PewDiePie person is.  
  
“Oh. He’s a youtuber, pretty cool guy. If I was gay or bi, it’d be for him.”  
  
“Dafuq, Bradley. You’re girlfriend’s right next to you,” Elissa speaks up.  
  
“You keep telling me how you’d go lesbian for some girls on Instagram, so don’t get mad at me for one guy!” Bradley laughs. Elissa opens her mouth to speak but Bradley quickly stops her by speaking up again. “So, to thank you guys for all of your help, we’re gonna… Elissa, what are we gonna do?”  
  
“I don’t know, give them money or something?”  
  
“Yeah, we’re gonna give you money!” Bradley concludes as he reaches into his back pocket. When he retrieves his hand, green paper sits between his fingers. He counts it before pulling out another dollar bill from a different pocket. He hands one to me and the other to Oli. $20.  
  
“Thank you,” Oli smiles at Bradley, always one to use manners.  
  
“Sure, you’re welcome,” Bradley answers.  
  
“So, we’re gonna take you guys home now since you have school tomorrow,” Elissa then speaks. We say bye to Bradley before following my sister outside to Bradley’s car.  
  
<><><>  
  
Elissa dropped both of us off at Alex’s house because he had texted us when we were halfway home. He said that he and Jack had gotten in a huge argument which resulted in Jack claiming that they should take a break from each other. Alex said that he really didn’t want to be alone at the moment.  
  
I knock on the door before turning back to the road. Elissa was still parked at the curb, and even from this far, I can see her eyes on us. I instantly know that she’s making sure we get in safe, staying just in case we don’t so she can take us home. I turn back to the door on impulse when I hear it click open to reveal a red, puffy-eyed Alex standing there.  
  
“Hey, guys. Thanks for coming over,” he says, voice shaking. “Come in.”  
  
I step in when Alex lets us. Oli makes sure he waves bye to Elissa before stepping in himself. Alex closes the door after us.  
  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
  
Alex shakes his head, so we leave it alone.  
  
“What do you wanna do?” Oli speaks up.  
  
“Wanna play video games?” Alex suggests, looking to Oli.  
  
“If you want to. I  _did_  ask you,” Oli smiles, making Alex smile as well.  
  
<><><>  
  
I woke up with Oli snuggled up with me, and Alex laying over our waist. How the fuck did we even manage to stay asleep like this? I look around for the clock, looking at the time when I do find it. Time to get ready for school in a few minutes. Might as well wake up the other two idiots then.  
  
I merely shove Alex off of us so he rolls to our feet and place many kisses to Oli’s face to get the two of them awake. I turn straight to Alex.  
  
“How the fuck did you get on top of us?” I ask as Alex stretches his limbs. The only response I get is the sound of his joints making that disgusting cracking sound, making me wince.  
  
“That felt good,” Alex states sleepily before getting up.  
  
“Did we fall asleep on the floor?” Oli asks, too tired to process things.  
  
“Sure did, babe,” I answer.  
  
“Oh,” is all he says before cuddling closer to me.  
  
“Hey, we gotta get ready for school,” I tell him as I shake him slightly. He whines and buries his face in my neck, being stubborn as ever. “Baby, let go, we have school today.”  
  
“Please don’t tell me what to do,” he whines. I sigh.  
  
“Alright, well, I’m gonna go get ready now,” I tell him as I free myself from his grip, earning another sleepy whine from my boyfriend.  
  
“Fine, I’ll get up,” Oli says as he gets up when I do. The second we’re both on our feet, he throws himself at me again. I wrap my arms around the tired boy. He must’ve went to sleep way after me and Alex.  
  
“Can you go get ready for me?” I ask him.  
  
“Kiss first?” he mumbles into my chest. I quickly check to make sure Alex isn’t paying any attention to us to find that he’s not even in the room right now.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
Oli picks his head up to press his lips to mine, and I return the gesture before he pulls away.  
  
“I gotta ask Alex if he has an extra toothbrush,” he yawns before heading towards the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Oli’s point of view:  
  
“Hey,” I greet my three friends as I sit at the lunch table with them. They greet me back, and I can’t help but notice how close Jack and Alex seem to be. “You guys going on strong again then?”  
  
They nod, making me smile as I cuddle into Josh’s side. I look up at him and see him staring at something else. I follow his gaze and see the group of girls who tormented me a month ago, one of them watching us. I could see how jealous she was.  
  
“You alright, Joshie?” I ask, gaining his attention again. He smiles at me and kisses my nose.  
  
“Of course I am!” he adds, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Why wouldn’t I be?”  
  
“I don’t know, just making sure.”  
  
“Anyways, you guys have plans for this weekend?” Jack asks hopefully.  
  
“I don’t,” Josh answers, so Jack turns to me. I shake my head.  
  
“Cool! So, do you guys wanna have a sleepover at my house? I’m inviting someone not even Alex knows yet!”  
  
Josh and I agree to come over, and we all settle for this Saturday. I even asked if Tom could tag along with me since I haven’t spent quite as much time with him on the weekends lately, and Jack had said that it’s fine. We just talked about our plans until the bell rang, alerting us that we have five minutes to get back to class. Jack and Alex said bye to us and hurried off to whatever classes they had. Jack and I get up too, and he gives me a kiss before saying bye and leaving himself.  
  
Something about that kiss gave me a bad feeling in my stomach…  
  
<><><>  
  
Josh’s point of view:  
  
The second I got home, my phone alerted me of a text. I decided to ignore it for now. I  _really_  needed to work on a project I had forgotten all about. It’s due at the end of the week, and I’ve been procrastinating this whole month. If I fail this project, I fail the class. I fail the class, I get grounded big time. I get grounded big time, I die. I die.., I don’t know what happens if I die.  
  
Whoever it is that’s texting me obviously approves of me dying as they just simply send me another text. I groan and pull my phone out of my pocket, reading it.  
  
 **Rachelle: josh i miss u**  
  
Whoa.  
  
Is my plan  _really_  coming to an end? Am I ready for it too?  
  
 _Of course you are! You’re finally getting her back!_  
  
But what about Oli?  
  
 _He’ll be just fine! He’s beautiful on the inside and the out too. He’ll find someone else._  
  
Yeah, he will. He’ll be fine.  
  
 **me: Oh, really?**  
  
Rachelle: yes a lot  
  
me: Well, I miss you too :)  
  
Rachelle: but u have oli. r u gonna leave him or somthin  
  
me: Maybe… Why should I pick you over him?  
  
Rachelle: well ill blow you as a reward unless you want more ;)  
  
me: But I can always get Oli to…  
  
Rachelle: has he let u fuck him yet  
  
me: No  
  
Rachelle: exactly. ill b here whenevr u want me ;) so how about it  
  
me: I’ll tell Oli the news  
  
Rachelle: i love you <3  
  
me: I love you too <3 txt me after  
  
Something was screaming and begging me not to carry on with this any further, but I ignored it as I quickly sent Oli a text telling him that I had to tell him something so he should come over.  
  
After a few minutes, I hear a knock at the door. Before I can get up to answer it, I hear my mom shout that she’d get it. I hear a couple voices exchange words before footsteps making their way upstairs. I watch as Oli pushes the door open and carefully sits on the bed next to me.  
  
“So, uh, what did you wanna talk about?” Oli asks quietly as he avoids eye contact, slight fear and sadness heard in his voice. It’s as if he knew where this was going, and sadly, I’m pretty sure he does. I struggle to find the words to say. I really wanna put this as easy as possible, because I don’t wanna hurt him. There’s no going back now, either.  
  
“Look, Oli, you’re a sweet kid, but I… I want Rachelle back, and… you can put the rest together. I still love you, but as a friend. We can still be friends, right?”  
  
The look on Oli’s face is enough to make me want to tie bricks around my limbs and throw me into the ocean. It made my heart hurt, especially when the tears brim his eyes. He fights to keep them back as he puts on a smile, which is clearly fake. He nods his head, saying that we could still be friends. I’ve heard of people who said yes to that question during a breakup but walked out of their lives afterwards and never came back, but I know Oli well enough to know that he won’t do that. It may be reluctant, but he won’t leave.  
  
“I-I gotta g-go now, bye,” Oli shakily says, voice cracking as I see a tear spill over onto his cheek. He jumps out and rushes out. I flinch when I hear the door slam shut, and I let out a shaky sigh.  
  
God, I’m so fucked up. What the fuck is wrong with me?  
  
Instead of texting Rachelle like I said I would, I call Elissa. She picks up almost immediately.  
  
“Hey! What’s up?” her cheery voice speaks, but it’s not enough to make me feel better.  
  
“Hey, I fucked up big time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm crying :'( I'm sorry :'(


	14. Chapter 14

Tom’s point of view:  
  
I flinch when the door slams open then closed, and I see Oli crying and running up the stairs, which alarms me. Before he left, he told me that he was going to Josh’s house because he had to tell him something.  
  
“Oli, what’s wrong?” I ask, but he ignores me and continues up the stairs to his room. I jump up from my spot on the sofa and run up after him. “Oli, talk to me!”  
  
“Just leave me alone, Tom!” Oli cries out just before he slams the door in my face, almost whacking me in the nose in the process. I hear a thump from the other side of the door as Oli sobs. I try the doorknob, but the damn boy locked the door. I bang on the door, desperate to get him to let me in.  
  
“Go away!” Oli screams at me. Frustrated tears brim my eyes as I give up and sit down, back to the door. I pull out my phone and send a text to Josh.  
  
 **me: What the fuck did you do to Oli?!  
  
Josh: You’re not gonna like it at all  
  
me: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU FUCKING DO TO MY BROTHER YOU PIECE OF SHIT I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD I WILL RIP YOUR FUCKING BALLS OFF AND MAKE YOU CHOKE ON THEM  
  
Josh: Long story… May I shorten it?  
  
me: I WANT THE WHOLE FUCKING STORY NOW**  
  
Josh sends me a long text explaining to me what happened from his girlfriend breaking up with him all the way up to breaking up with Oli, and to say that I was livid would be the motherfucking understatement of the fucking century.  
  
 **me: You know I'm kicking your ass the second I see you right.**  
  
Josh: Yes?  
  
What a fucking dumbass! I don't know why I fucking waste my time on twats like him!  
  
<><><>  
  
When I wake, I'm in my own bed.  
  
Wasn't I by Oli's door? He's probably the one who put me in here.  
  
I get out of bed and head to Oli's room, but the door's still locked. I knock anyways.  
  
"Oli, let me in, please?" I beg. No reply. "Oli, are you alright?" No reply. I slowly start to panic as I mutter a desperate curse under my breath.  
  
"Why don't you use the key?" I flinch when a voice speaks behind me. I recognize it to be my mom's.  
  
"There's a key?"  
  
She reaches up to the top of the door frame and pulls down some metal thing shaped as an L. She sticks it in the door and twists before putting it back and walking away. I try the doorknob and it opens.  
  
Of course I didn't know about the damned key. This information would've been great to know hours ago.  
  
I push the door open and step into my brother's room and see him curled up on his bed. I notice that he's only staring at the wall that his bed is against.  
  
"Please talk to me," I tell him as I walk over to him. He says nothing as I slide into the bed next to him. He rolls over and buries his face in my neck and starts to sob all over again as I hold him and try to calm him.  
  
I'm gonna fucking kill Franceschi.  
  
"He told me he didn't want me anymore," he cries when he's calmed enough to speak. "He said he wanted Rachelle. But he told me he loved me and said he wouldn't leave me for her."  
  
"He's just fucking stupid, Oli. He'll realize that too when he realizes how much he misses you."  
  
"Why would he miss me?"  
  
"Well, because you're Oli. Oli is amazing. A lot of people love Oli."  
  
"Not Josh," Oli says bitterly. "I don't think he ever loved me."  
  
"Stop thinking about Josh so much. Josh is just a little bitch who cares about nothing but himself. He doesn't deserve anyone as amazing as you. You'll find someone better."  
  
"But I don't want someone better."  
  
"Hey, you gotta move on, big bro. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for me?"  
  
I feel him nod. "You're the best, Tom. I love you."  
  
"The best loves you too. Since the best wants you to feel better, he's gonna buy you Dominos pizza. Sound good?"  
  
Oli nods, and I smile as I get out of bed to order the pizza.


	15. Chapter 15

Oli's point of view:  
  
Tom gets out of bed to go order the pizza. Just as he leaves the room, I get a text. I ignore it, just like the rest of the ones I've been receiving all day. I've read the first few, and they were from Rachelle and Josh so I'm sure the rest of them are from the same people.  
  
Tom comes back a few minutes later and sits next to me on the bed again.  
  
"Can I see your wrists?"  
  
Fuck, I knew he'd ask me that at one point. He does it every time I ignore him and lock myself in my room. I hesitantly hold out my left arm and look away from him as I feel him roll up my sleeve. I didn't wanna see his reaction to my relapsing.  
  
"Oli... These look bad."  
  
"Sorry," is all I can think to say at the moment.  
  
"Why are you apologizing?" Tom asks me sadly.  
  
"I disappointed you."  
  
Fuck, I fucking disappointed him. That thought brought tears to my eyes. I blinked them away though.  
  
"No, Oli. You didn't. Actually, I'm proud of you for making it as long as you did without hurting yourself."  
  
"It was only eight months."  
  
"Eight months is a long time. That's the longest you've gone."  
  
I flinch when I get a text. Again. I ignore it. Again.  
  
"You gonna answer that?" Tom asks me as he gives me my arm back. I roll my sleeve back down and shake my head.  
  
"It's probably Josh or Rachelle."  
  
He holds his hand out. I assume he wants my phone so I place it into his palm. He reads it.  
  
"Most of them are from Jack and Alex. They're worried about you," Tom informs me as he gives me back my phone. I reply to them quickly, telling them that I'm fine. When they were convinced they asked me if me and Tom still going to hang out with them and Josh this weekend and I said yes. Why wouldn't I?  
  
I jump when the doorbell rings and Tom imidiately gets up to get the door, not without laughing at me, of course. Josh comes back minutes later with a box of pizza and sets it on my bed before opening it, revealing the so very loved cheese pizza from the best pizza place there is.  
  
<><><>  
  
When I woke up, Tom was sleeping next to me. I'm surprised he never gets detention, he's tardy every single day. I'd be in huge shit if I did that at my school.  
  
I gently shake Tom until his eyes blink open.  
  
"Morning, Oli. Sleep okay?" Tom asks sleepily. I nod and sit up, and he gets the hint. He gets out of my bed so I can get out myself. He heads straight to his room to get ready for school, which he won't go to until later. I get ready myself so I can actually get there on time.  
  
<><><>  
  
Rachelle's point of view:  
  
I convinced Josh to sit at the table with me and my friends. I did it because  _DUH_ , Josh is my boyfriend! I also did it because I wanted to see that Oli bitch's reaction.  
  
Alex seemed to be saying something to him, but Oli wasn't paying any attention to him. It made me smile. Hey, I'm a sadist, especially towards the one who kept Josh from me for so long. Imagine how pissed I was when I found out Oli was with my man! I mean, yeah, I know  _I_  broke the relationship off, but it still pissed me off.  
  
I see Oli look towards us and quickly look away again. He looked like he wanted to cry.  
  
I like fucking with this kid's emotions. I think I'll make him my official target. Think? Nah, I will.  
  
"Rachelle, babe, you alright?" Josh asks me. I turn from Oli and focus my attention on Josh instead. I smile.  
  
"Of course I am."


	16. Chapter 16

Rachelle's point of view:  
  
I come up with an idea when I turn back to Oli. I grab my phone and type out a message.  
  
 **me: hey lets have a friendly chat :)**  
  
I hit send and watch him flinch before pulling his phone out. He frowns at the screen before he starts typing.  
  
 **Oli: Why?  
  
me: my friends suck and I wanna meet new ppl & i already hav ur number so y not txt u**  
  
My friends are great.  
  
 **Oli: Um okay.  
  
me: we r gonna b good friends :) r we friends  
  
Oli: Sure, I don't see why not**  
  
We can be friends, but not  _good_  friends. I'm actually gonna be a shitty friend.  
  
 **me: ok good so as ur friend im gonna giv u tips on how to b better for Josh in case i leave him again XD that sound good**  
  
Me? Leave Josh again? Bitch, please!  
  
 **Oli: Why would you help me get your boyfriend to like me?  
  
me: silly boy i said in case i leave him again so how bout it  
  
Oli: Why would you leave him?  
  
me: josh is weird and sometimes i need a break from him u kno  
  
Oli: Oh. Then okay  
  
me: dont b offended by anything i tell u ok cuz im just trying 2 help u  
  
Oli: Okay.  
  
me: good so first of all Josh likes skinny people and ur not exactly skinny so... u might wanna work on dat**  
  
I lied. Josh doesn't give a shit about body size, and Oli's actually as skinny as me, but this'll fuck with him a lot, so it’s a great lie for a sadist like me to tell to a sensitive twat like Oli. I look up at him and see him look down at himself, contemplating his weight. I turn back to my phone and see that he's typing.  
  
 **Oli: I guess you're right. What should I do?  
  
me: wat i did was skip meals & drink water instead and when i did eat i threw it up**  
  
I never had any form of eating disorder, so that was obviously a lie.  
  
 **Oli: Oh.  
  
me: so you gonna do it  
  
Oli: Yeah...  
  
me: ok b careful ok  
  
Oli: Yeah, alright.**  
  
Before I can start typing again, he starts to do so.  
  
 **Oli: Wait, if you’re my friend, then why are you suggesting these things?**  
  
What the fuck do I say? Fuck. Just say something or it won’t work anymore…  
  
 **me: bc im not scared 2 help out a friend in need.**  
  
Oli: By suggesting that they starve themselves and puke up whatever enters their stomach?  
  
me: see how many friends i have and how many you have trust me i kno wat im doing :) this new found friendship is never gonna work if u dont trust me  
  
Oli: Alright…  
  
me: bells about 2 ring bye  
  
Oli: Bye  
  
Just as I put my phone away, the bell rings as predicted. Me and my friends get up from the table and I grab onto Josh’s arm.  
  
“Walk me to class, babe?” I smile up at him. He smiles and nods.  
  
“Anything, babe.”  
  
<><><>  
  
Oli’s point of view:  
  
Tom follows me into my room when I get home, him closing the door behind him.  
  
"How was your day, Grand Master Syko?" Tom asks me as he sits on the bed next to me. I shrug.  
  
"It was fine," I lie, making sure I don't make eye contact.  
  
"Okay. I'm going to a friend's house until next Tuesday or Wednesday. His parents won't be home and he doesn't wanna be home alone. Will you be okay by yourself or with Alex and Jack?"  
  
"Yeah, you just have fun, alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Uh, im leaving now," Tom says before giving me a quick side hug before leaving the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  
  
Am I really getting too big for Josh?  
  
I get off the bed and stroll to the nearest mirror before pulling my shirt over my head, staring at myself.  
  
I  _have_  gotten bigger lately, huh?  
  
I scowl at my reflection.  
  
I can't believe I'm just now noticing this. Fuck. No wonder Josh chose Rachelle over me. I mean, if I was at least bi, I'd choose her over me too. I'm sure anyone would. Oh god, what if I looked like this even when we first started dating? Ew, fuck, how did he even make a whole month and a week being with me? Seriously, I'm a blob of fucking lard in all black.  
  
I sigh and turn from the mirror and pull my shirt back on. Thank god Rachelle told me how fat I really am. She's brave enough to actually tell me these things and help me out. I guess we  _are_  gonna be good friends...


	17. Chapter 17

Oli's point of view:  
  
"Oli, you alright? You've been in there for a while, I called you down for dinner a while ago," Mom asks as she knocks on my door.  
  
"Yeah, just a headache," I lie as I press a cloth to my arm to stop the bleeding.  
  
 _Just fucking stop already..._  
  
"Oh, well, come on out when you're okay enough. I'll have medicine for you."  
  
Then I hear footsteps walk away. When I feel I stopped the bleeding enough, I head down into the kitchen and sit across from my mom, who gives me a glass of water and a few pills. I drop the unneeded pills into my water and drink it.  
  
“Salad again or?” she asks me what I want for dinner.  
  
“No thanks,” I tell her as I get up from the table to put my glass in the sink. Of course I’m a bit hungry, but I really want Josh back, well, in case the offer is up again. Mom laughs a bit.  
  
“Good, ‘cause I really don’t feel like making anything right now,” she tells me, waving me off. I head back up to my room and decide to go to bed early.  
  
<><><>  
  
>>>time skip all the way to Saturday<<<  
  
“Hey, Oli! Where’s Tom?” Jack greets me with his usual smile as he opens the front door.  
  
“At a friend’s, he didn’t tell you?” I reply with a slight scowl. It’s fucking rude to tell someone that you’re going to their get together and end up hanging with someone else instead without even telling them.  
  
“No, but that’s alright!” he cheers as he opens the door wider. “Alex is already here, so we’re just waiting for Josh and my guest.”  
  
I can’t help but wince a little at Josh’s name. This week’s been hell trying to get over him, and I don’t see the end of it at all. I try to mask it with a smile as I step in, feeling anxious when I see a middle-aged woman staring at me from the couch.  
  
“Mom, this is Oli, one of my friends,” Jack introduces briefly before grabbing my arm and dragging me upstairs.  
  
“Uh…”  
  
“She’ll talk forever and ever if I let her speak,” Jack whispers the answer to the unasked question as we stop at a door. Jack leads me into the room where Alex is chillin’ on the bed, frowning at his phone. He looks up when he hears the door open, smiling sympathetically when he sees me.  
  
“Hey, Sykes,” Alex greets me.  
  
“Hey,” I wave, standing by the door awkwardly as Jack sits at the edge of the bed next to Alex when he sits up.  
  
“So, I heard from Rachelle that Josh broke up with you to be with her… I like,  _just_  found out,” he says, showing the phone in his hand to emphasize his point.  
  
“Uh, yeah.” I avoid eye contact. I  _really_  don’t wanna have this talk right now.  
  
“ _YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! YOU HURT MY BROTHER!_ ” I flinch when I hear a too familiar voice scream from outside, Jack and Alex jumping up to go check it out, leaving me in the room alone. I’m only alone for a few seconds because someone then runs in, and I see them flinch slightly when they see me. I look up at the person to see a boy I’ve never seen before.  
  
“Oh, hey,” he greets me when he’s recovered. “You’re Tom’s older brother, aren’t you? I’m Tom’s friend, and Jack’s too. Jack invited me over and I decided to bring Tom over too since he’s supposed to be hanging with me for a week, but turns out he was invited here too in the first place. Tom’s outside beating some kid’s ass, apparently he hurt you,” and suddenly, his excited look turns to an angered one. “What did he do to you so I can kick his ass too?”  
  
“Uh…”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I… don’t know what to say…”  
  
“Oh, wait! Rude! My name’s Xavier!”  
  
“Uh… hi, I’m Oli.”  
  
“I know, remember?”  
  
“Oh, yeah.”  
  
“Heh, you’re cute. How could someone hurt someone like you? Now what did he do? No, you look sad, you need a hug. C’mere,” he holds his arms out for me, and I hesitantly walk into the strange strangers arms, which immediately wrap around me.  
  
“Don’t be sad, hug Dad!” he cheers.  
  
What the fuck?  
  
I look up at the boy (who fucking towers over Josh, like what the fuck) with a look that asks  _’what-the-fuck’_. He smiles sheepishly at me.  
  
“Something me and one of my other friends came up with. I’m Dad, and he’s Mom. I might make you one of our sons since I like you!”  
  
“You like me already?”  
  
“Yeah, Tom always talks about you, and I like you! I’m gonna ask my friend if we can adopt you! Am I creeping you out? Tell the truth.”  
  
I nod, and he laughs a bit before pulling away.  
  
“Sorry, I’m just in an insanely good mood today! I’m usually like this on days like this,” Xavier tells me before turning and flopping down onto the bed, landing on his belly. “My back hurts like a bitch. I should ask Tanner if we can adopt you.”  
  
I stand there awkwardly and watch him as he pulls his phone out of his phone and types ferociously for a few seconds. He just stares at it until his phone makes a noise.  
  
“Who’s Oli,” he reads out loud before typing again just as Josh, Tom, Jack, and Alex come back in. They’ve seemed to cool down, but they try to stay as far away from each other as possible. Tom stands by me to make sure Josh isn’t near me.  
  
“Okay, but if I don’t like him, we’re putting him up for adoption,” Xavier reads out loud again.  
  
“What?” a confused Jack asks as we all get comfortable, well, except me, who continues to stand awkwardly by the door.  
  
“Me and Tanner adopted Oli so he’s one of our sons now,” Xavier cheers happily.  
  
“Today’s one of your good days then?” Jack asks happily, said boy nodding. Jack turns to us all and points to Xavier. “So Oli and Tom apparently know Xavier.”  
  
Everyone else breaks into a conversation as Tom leans towards my ear.  
  
“‘m not one of their ‘sons’ so you should feel special,” Tom tells me with a small laugh.  
  
I don’t. At all.  
  
“What’s up with this whole ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ and ‘sons’ thing anyway?” I whisper back, extremely confused and creeped out by this whole thing. It’s so fucking weird and I thought I had enough going on in my mind.  
  
“Me, Tanner, Xavier, and our friends started this weird thing when Xavier and Tanner were talking about God knows what. Xavier’s like ‘oh, Tanner, marry me’ and Tanner was like ‘sure, okay’ so they pretend that they’re married and they pick people to be their ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’. They’re not together, if you were wondering that.”  
  
It makes sense now, I guess. It’s dumb though, but I’ll play along for their sake.  
  
“Son! What’s your number?” Xavier asks me as he’s suddenly standing in front of me. He drops to the floor with his legs crossed over each other before handing me his phone so I can put a contact in. I add a new contact, adding my number and saving it as ‘Grand Master Syko’, like always. I hand it back to him and he looks at it.  
  
“Grand Master Syko. I like it! Pretty cool! I’ll text you later or something, alright, son?”  
  
He gets up and wanders back over to the others.  
  
God, I feel so fucking awkward right now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird chapter. It's probably even worse since I got out of the habit of checking over everything I submit...  
> I have no idea when I'm ending this either... Actually, I lied, bc I might.  
> We'll see...  
> Alright, I love you guys, and I'm sorry for giving you such shitty chapters lately :(


	18. Chapter 18

Oli’s point of view:  
  
It’s around eight thirty now. Tom and Xavier went home around half an hour ago (Tom reluctant since Josh is still here) and Alex decided to go home too, since his mom texted him and told him that she wasn’t feeling very well. I avoided looking Josh’s way the whole time though, scared of what’ll happen if I do.  
  
“Oh, um, guys, I’m going to bed. You guys can just do whatever, see you in the morning,” Jack announces as he shifts from his spot on the floor. Within a few seconds, light snores pass his lips, and I’m jealous of how easily he can fall asleep. I mean, fuck, he’s on the  _floor_  and managed to fall asleep just fine.  
  
It’s now very awkward, because me and Josh are both wide awake and in the same room only a few feet apart. Hopefully, he won’t say anything to me.  
  
“Oli…”  
  
My breath hitches in my throat. Why is he talking to me? I thought he didn’t want me? Doesn’t he know that this is hard for me? Is he a fucking sadist?  
  
“Y-yeah?” I reply, barely above a whisper. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. I’ll just use Jack as an excuse.  
  
“So, what’s up?”  
  
Really? What’s up? You broke up with me not even a fucking week ago because you wanted your fucking ex back after a fucking month and a week, I’ve been a fucking mess ever sense, and the first thing out of your fucking mouth is  _what’s up_?!  
  
“Oli, why are you crying?”  
  
Fuck, I didn’t even realise I’m crying!  
  
 _Damn it, Oli, you’re so fucking pathetic! No wonder he left you, you’re such a fucking bitch!_  
  
“I-I’m not,” I retort, turning my back to him and wiping at my eyes.  
  
“Oli, aren’t we friends? You said we were friends!” Josh whines, his voice a bit closer this time.  
  
“Josh, you fucking broke up with me to get back together with your ex, do you really expect me to be able to talk to you like we never had anything other than friendship?” I snap at him, my voice breaking. God, I’m such a fucking cry baby…  
  
“Oli, I’m sorry, okay? But you’ll find someone better than me who-” Josh starts. I’m so fucking  _sick_  of hearing this speech over and over and  _fucking_  over again!  
  
“ _NO_ , Josh, don’t even fucking finish what you were just about to say! I’m fucking sick of hearing it from everyone!” I refrain from shouting so I don’t wake Jack. He’s able to sleep, so I’m gonna let him.  
  
“What else am I supposed to say?”  
  
“You don’t fucking say anything! Just leave me alone! Fuck, simply  _looking_  at you hurts! It fucking hurts!”  
  
I let out a hideous sob then. I pull my knees up to my chest and sob into them, trying to muffle them a bit.  
  
“Oli, what was that on your arm?”  
  
“Just leave me alone!” I cry miserably. Josh is a fucking sadist! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I fucking hate him!  
  
“Oli, why are you hurting yourself over me? It’s not worth it-”  
  
“So you can hurt me but it’s not okay if I hurt myself?”  
  
“No, Oli, that’s not it at all!”  
  
“Then what the fuck is it?”  
  
He’s doesn’t say anything, but that only pisses me off a bit more.  
  
“Why do you hate me so much?” I whimper helplessly, my whole body shaking with sobs. My heads pounding from doing it now, and my face just feels so gross now.  
  
“Oli, I don’t hate you! I told you that I still love you, just as a friend! Why would I be trying to help if I hated you?”  
  
I’m just not gonna say anything, maybe he’ll stop talking.  
  
But, I was wrong…  
  
“Please, give me another chance. You’re a great person, just at least  _try_  to be my friend?”  
  
Josh sounds so fucking desperate and helpless and genuine…  
  
“F-fine… But just give me some time…”  
  
“Alright. Let’s sleep now?”  
  
“Sure,” I reply as all I do is shift so I’m laying on my side. I know Josh does the same exact thing as I feel his back slightly against mine.  
  
“Night Oli. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Night Josh. I’m sorry too. For everything.”  
  
The end.  
  
.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, not the end.  
> I'm thinking about a sequel?  
> I feel like I left some info out anyway...  
> I don't know when it'll be up if I do it...  
> I need to gather some more ideas first!  
> Anyways...  
> Thank you guys for supporting me through this fic!  
> I'll try to get the sequel up ASAP, but may take a while!  
> I love you all!  
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> see my tumblr oohyaychicken.tumblr.com for information about my stories, such as updates and upcoming stories :)


End file.
